Page 37 of Weather the Storm
“Oh, thank God. Wait…y’all have a dog?” I ask, wondering when that happened.
“No,” Cash says at the exact same time Myla Rose says, “Not yet!”
At that, I laugh. “Good luck, Cash. Thanks for the ride back to the house. Y’all wanna stick around?”
“Nah, we gotta get going, but give the police our info.”
“Will do. Y’all be safe.”
Mail in hand, I make my way back into the house, dreading breaking the bad news to Magnolia.
“You g-get lost?” she calls out when I shut the front door behind me.
“No.” I lay the mail on the front table and walk over to her. “We gotta talk, Goldilocks, and you’re not gonna like what I have to say.” Magnolia stares at me with fear in her eyes, mute and unmoving. “C’mon, let’s go sit.”
I lower us both down into my recliner, wanting to keep her close for this conversation. “What’s going on, Simon? You’re sc-scaring me.”
“Gotta ask you something: what did Grant drive?”
Magnolia’s entire body tenses at my question. Her breathing is labored and choppy, the fear snaking through her veins fucking palpable. I swear, if I ever meet that man…I. Will. Kill. Him.
“An Audi,” she whispers, her voice barely audible.
“Had a feelin’ that was what you were gonna say. Let me guess…black?”
She nods her head up and down. “Why?”
“You were right, pretty girl. He’s here.”
She sucks in a sharp breath and immediately begins hyperventilating. I feel so fucking helpless, watching as the woman I love breaks down right before my very eyes. “Hey,” I whisper in her ear, smoothing her matted hair back from her tear-soaked cheek. “I won’t let him or anyone else hurt you. You’re mine now, and I take care of what’s mine. I’ll keep you safe, always.”
I murmur different variations of the same words until her breathing regulates and her sobs stop. Finally, she looks up at me, her eyes rimmed with red and bloodshot. “Y-you s-s-saw him?”
I debate whether or not to tell her he tried to run me over, but Magnolia and I have built our relationship on honesty and respect, and I’m not gonna stop now. She deserves the truth. “He tried to run me down out by the mailbox. Missed me, destroyed the box, and kept going. Cash and Myla saw it all.”
Like turning on a faucet, Magnolia’s tears start back up and she clings to me, sobbing into the fabric of my shirt. “I’m so s-sorry. So sorry.” Suddenly, she jumps up from my lap and takes off down the hallway. I dash after her, hot on her heels.
“What in the hell are you doing?” I demand when I see her shoving her meager belongings into her duffle bag.
“I-if I’m n-not here, he w-won’t hurt you.”
I watch in disbelief as she struggles to zip the bag, her shaking hands continually jamming the closure. Is this real? Does she really think leaving me is the answer? I can’t keep her safe if she’s not with me.
Panic starts to build and bubble in my chest, its claw gripping my heart and squeezing. “Magnolia.” I’m across the room and to her in seconds, pulling her hands away from the zipper and wrapping her in my arms. “Baby, you can’t leave.”
She nods her head fervently. “I h-have to. I love you so m-much, Simon. I’ll n-never forgive m-myself if anything h-happens to you.” Her words are rushed and choppy, much like my breathing. The thought of her leaving has me spiraling into an abyss.
“Mags…Goldilocks—listen to me, please?” My voice breaks with raw emotion. Maybe that makes me weak—my need for her—but I don’t give a fuck. I have to make her understand. “You’re safer with me. I can protect you from him, and together, we can take his ass down.”
My heart hammers in my chest as I wait for her reply, the silence seeming to stretch out into an eternity. Each second feels like ten minutes, every minute an hour. When she finally replies, the claws around my heart loosen their grip, and I can breathe again. “Okay. H-how?”
Chapter Nineteen
MAGNOLIA
The thought of anything happening to Simon—or any of our friends—because of me damn near paralyzes me, but for some reason, I believe him when he says I’m safer with him. I believe we’re better together.
What gives me pause is the fact that we can’t predict the future, and his promise to keep me safe isn’t one he can keep. Things happen—life happens—and it very rarely takes into account promises made.
